Old Dog, New Tricks
by Grencia
Summary: Slade helps Ram get on his feet again, using his own methods of persuasion. [Slade x Ram] [Complete].


**Old Dog, New Tricks – A Slade x Ram story One-shot**

"Are you going to sit there all day?" Ram complained as he typed swiftly and eagerly on his computer keyboard, taking a moment to glance away from the screen and across at the brown haired guy sitting on one of the single beds in the room. Slade had his face turned to the wall and his head tilted slightly, and was reading from one of the many newspapers pasted to the wall of the room, engrossed in one of the many stories from the days before the virus hit, so engrossed in fact, that it took him a moment to register that he was being spoken to.

"What?" he spoke half-heartedly after a moment. Ram had already turned back to his computer, and was fiddling in frustration with a wire leading from the web cam sitting on top of his monitor. Sighing loudly, he knocked it off in one sweep of his hand, sending it flying to the ground and smashing on contact with the arm of his wheelchair.

"Don't you have anything better to do than hang around here all day? Why don't you go and ride your bike somewhere?"

"No gas," Slade replied, finally finishing reading the article and turning to the aggravated ex-leader of the Technos. "You look like you need a break."

"I don't take breaks," Ram answered, beginning to focus his gaze on the screen again.

"No, you just work until you fall asleep on your keyboard and end up with the shape of the keys indented on your face. It isn't a pretty sight." Slade moved his legs off the bed and stood up, stretching his arms above his head and walking over to Ram, lifting his hands from the keyboard and holding them still. "Why don't we go downstairs and let Ruby get us a drink?"

"And how do you plan on doing that? Last time you tried to get this thing down those stairs it got stuck half way." Wriggling his hands from Slade's grasp, he turned to the monitor a third time, engrossing himself in the numbers and letters flooding the screen. Slade rolled his eyes and reached over the side of the computer desk, picking up the pair of crutches he had risked his life to fetch only a day before.

"Then you'll have to walk down there, won't you?" Before he could complain, Slade gripped the handles of Ram's wheelchair and pulled him away from his computer, pushing him towards the wall and then spinning him round.

"I can't, I told you," he replied simply, attempting to turn the wheels of his chair but being held still.

"Can't? Or won't? You can do anything you want with a little gentle persuasion." Slade let go of the chair and handed him the crutches, standing back a little and watching him closely as he scowled and held them firmly, trying to pull himself to his feet but soon falling back into the chair again with a sigh. Hesitating for a moment, and letting him recover, Slade approached him and stood himself between the wheelchair and the wall, leaning over and putting one hand on either side of his waist, holding him tightly.

"You're not going to give up that easily are you? Try again." Digging his fingers underneath Ram's ribs gave him the push he needed, and growling quietly, he used the crutches to slowly pull himself to his feet for a second time, and supported by Slade's hands, he managed to remain in an upright position, breathing heavily and leaning awkwardly.

"Get your… hands off me…" he muttered between breaths. Slade shrugged, his lips curved in a smirk, and immediately moved his hands away, watching as Ram instantly lost control of his body and fell forwards, hitting the ground a moment after the crutches and yelping as his head made contact with the corner of the bed.

"You idiot!" he yelled as he attempted to move from his sprawled out position on the floor. "Why did you let go?!"

"If you tell me to get my hands off you, you have to expect to find them gone a moment later." Slade leaned over and picked up the crutches, leaning them against the wall, and then put one arm around the techno's neck and the other behind his knees, and stood up slowly, lifting him into his arms and holding him close to him.

"Put me down!" Ram protested, turning his head to face Slade and scowling at him.

"You should be careful what you ask me to do, remember what happened last time?" When Ram opened his mouth to speak again Slade gently lifted one of his hands and put one finger across his lips to silence him. Keeping it there until he closed his mouth again, he moved his finger away and almost immediately replaced it with his lips. Ram struggled, moaned and tried to pull away, but Slade held him even tighter and pressed their lips together, and after a few seconds, the techno begun to relax, closed his eyes and begun to kiss him back heatedly, raising his arms and putting one hand on Slade's cheeks to keep his head still and burying the other one in his hair.

Several minutes later, Slade pulled away.

"Why did you stop?" Ram whispered.

"Oh, you want me to continue do you?" Slade grinned, loosening his grip slightly.

"Hence the sound of disappointment in my voice," Ram retorted, attempting to move his head towards Slade's again. Slade smiled and lowered Ram down into his wheelchair, handed him his crutches and proceeded to walk to the other side of the room, leaning his back against the wall and looking back at him, folding his arms.

"Then you'll have to come and get me," he grinned, and Ram sneered, putting one hand on either of the wheels of his chair. "And if you use the chair you don't get the reward," Slade added as Ram begun to edge towards him. He frowned and leaned on the crutches for a third time, the strain showing on his face as he lifted himself up and stood upright, leaning forwards and looking over at Slade, then moving one foot forward and attempting to walk towards him. As soon as his left foot hit the ground he lost his balance and fell to the ground once again, pulling several pieces of his computer with him as he grabbed the wires in attempt to break his fall. Seeing him sprawled out on the carpet again, Slade left his place by the wall and walked over to him, kneeling down beside him.

"I guess we're moving a little too fast for you. You should concentrate on actually staying on your feet before you try and walk. You're just too eager."

"But it was you who said -"

"I didn't say it had to be right away did I?" he interrupted. "It's not my fault you can't bear to keep your hands off me for five minutes." Picking the techno up in his arms once again, he smirked again and turned his head away to avoid his lips, then carefully sat him back down in his chair, laid his crutches on his lap and backed up slightly. "Go on then, on your feet."

"I've tried three times and I can't do it, doesn't that tell you something?" Ram scowled.

"If you can get on your feet I'll help you stay there," Slade replied, moving slightly closer and watching as Ram slowly pulled himself onto his feet, his legs wobbling but the crutches supporting him enough to stop him from collapsing. Slade moved towards him and kicked his wheelchair aside with his foot, moving himself behind the techno and putting his arms around his waist, holding him steady. Stepping forwards and pressing their bodies close together, he put his head on Ram's shoulder and smiled, slowly slipping his hand underneath his belt and then under the black Lycra of his trousers. Ram almost toppled over as he automatically jerked his body, turning his head in surprise.

"What are you doing?" he asked, sounding slightly nervous.

"This is your reward for staying on your feet, if you fall over then I stop." Keeping his other arm wrapped firmly around Ram's waist, he moved his hand lower, stretching the tight fabric with his fingers, and hesitated for a moment before wrapping his fingers around his length and looking round at him in fake disappointment.

"And here was me thinking I turned you on," he grinned. Ram rolled his eyes and sighed loudly.

"If my legs don't work then that's hardly likely to is it?" he spoke, sounding embarrassed.

"We'll see about that," Slade replied, squeezing the tip between his thumb and one of his fingers, while using the other to run up and down the base gently, closely watching Ram's face. He closed his eyes and groaned in pleasure, letting go of the crutches and almost falling over. "You have to stay on your feet remember," Slade whispered as the techno managed to recover control and remain standing.

Tilting his head to one side Slade begun to gently kiss his neck as he continued to run his fingers over his length, occasionally moving back and squeezing the tip to hear Ram moan, and smiling cheekily as he felt him get harder, eventually gripping it tightly in his hand and beginning to rock his hand back and forth swiftly, feeling Ram lean back into his arms and relax, moaning more loudly and uttering Slade's name under his breath. Slade turned Ram's head to face his and locked their lips together in a deep kiss as he moved his hand even faster, finally stopping when he felt Ram was almost reaching the peak of his pleasure and pulling his hand out, letting go of him and moving round to his front.

"If that works then I'm sure your legs do as well, now walk," he smiled, standing by the wall again and leaning against his elbows.

"But you haven't finished…" he moaned, panting slightly.

"If I gave you everything now then you wouldn't do what I said, would you? You get the rest when you come over here for it," Slade smirked, looking at Ram expectantly.

Closing his eyes for a moment and sighing loudly, Ram focused his eyes on Slade's, almost gazing right into them as he lifted one shaking foot from the ground and moved it forwards only an inch or two before placing it carefully back onto the ground and echoing the movement with his other foot, still leaning most of his weight on the crutches which wobbled dangerously beneath him as he began to ease himself towards him at an agonizingly slow pace.

All the time he kept his eyes focused straight ahead of him, getting to know Slade's eyes so well in the minutes it took him to reach him that he could tell what each flicker and movement of them meant, welcoming the look of encouragement he saw there. When he finally got so close he could see their colour, he allowed the crutches to fall to the ground with a crash and fell forwards into Slade's arms, falling almost to the ground but being picked up at the last minute and held tightly around the waist as their lips met for the third time that day and they lost themselves in a deep kiss.

Slade's hand snaked once again around Ram's length and rocked back and forth, moving faster each time he heard a moan escape Ram's throat. Pressing their bodies close together he flipped them round and pushed Ram back against the wall, allowing to move his hand from around his waist and move it up into his hair, running his fingers over the black spikes running from back to front. As Ram cried out and released into his hand, he slipped his tongue into his mouth and explored inside, removing his hand and supporting him once again, pulling away from the kiss for air a moment later.

"Can't walk huh?" Slade smiled at him. "Then what was that you did then?"

"You forced me into it," Ram replied, still panting slightly and allowing a slight scowl to cross his face.

"Nice to see you're so grateful," he smirked, picking the techno up and walking slowly to the door of the bedroom. "And after I read that entire article to give me the idea as well."

"What do you mean?" Ram questioned, looking up at him as he was carried out of the door and into the corridor.

"It was about dog training. The dog does something well and you give them a reward, it's the most effective form of teaching apparently."

"Oh, so I'm a dog now am I?" he frowned, moving his head inwards as Slade began to carry him down the narrow staircase. Slade simply smiled and left the staircase, walking into the centre of the bar, where several people sat in groups drinking and talking, and others gathered around a snooker table at one end of the huge room.

Sitting Ram down at one of the tables, he looked around and then leaned down and kissed his cheek subtly, stood up again and approached the bar, where a blonde, Ruby, the owner of the inn, had just finished serving someone.

"I see you haven't managed to get him on his feet yet," she commented, fetching two glasses from underneath the counter and pouring a red substance in a bottle into each of them.

"We're getting there, slowly," Slade replied, picking up one of the glasses and downing it's contents in one go.

"You'll never manage it, I know the kind, he's too stubborn to let you help him," she replied, filling up his glass a second time.

"Have you ever heard the phrase: 'Can't teach an old dog new tricks'?"

"Of course." Ruby turned to the wall behind her and pushed the bottle back on the shelf.

"Don't believe it," Slade said simply, finishing his drink and pushing the glass towards her. "I have my ways."


End file.
